A study conducted by researchers from University College London (UCL), UK, suggests that elite athletes are at risk of oral health problems despite having good oral hygiene practices. The findings were recently published online in the British Dental Journal.

The study

Researchers from the UCL Eastman Dental Institute surveyed 352 Olympic-level and professional athletes involved in sports such as athletics, football, rugby, swimming, rowing, sailing and hockey. The male and female athletes took part in the survey as they were getting dental check-ups from the institute. The check-ups looked for signs of tooth decay and acid erosion, as well as gum problems, in the athletes. The researchers also asked the sportspeople what they did to keep their mouths healthy.

Results

The dental checks showed that oral disease was common among the athletes. Almost half of them (49.1 per cent) were found to have untreated tooth decay, and the majority had early signs of gum inflammation. Nearly a third of the athletes also told the researchers that their oral health negatively affected their training and performance. The results of these checks were reported in a paper published last year.

But, what this new study found was that despite these results, athletes were still more likely than the general population to take care of their oral health. For instance, 94 per cent of the athletes brushed their teeth at least twice a day, compared with the 75 per cent figure represented by the general public. For flossing, the stats were 44 and 21 per cent respectively.

Why do athletes still have these problems?

Study researcher, Dr Julie Gallagher, says that despite the athletes’ good oral habits — including not smoking, eating healthily and having regular dentist visits — they also tend to drink sports drinks, take energy gels and eat energy bars. These products, she says, have sugar in them, which increases the risk of tooth decay. She also says that the acidity of the products contributes to the risk of tooth erosion. Both these factors, according to her, could explain the results of the dental checks.

This study builds on research that’s been carried out by institute since the Olympic Games in London back in 2012, led by Professor Ian Needleman. Past research also showed that athletes could also be at a higher risk of oral health problems because of the dry mouth they experience during intensive training periods.

The good news

The athletes taking part in the study told the researchers that they would be willing to make even more changes to look after their oral health. Steps they said they would consider, included: Using fluoride mouthwashes, scheduling more dental appointments, and reducing sports-drink intake. Because of this, the researchers have asked some of the athletes to help them design an intervention study, which has already been piloted. Dr Gallagher says that the results of that study will be published soon.

Written by : Tesneem Ayoub
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190823080012.html

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